Water quality comprises the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of a water body.

The water
body acquires these characteristics from a suite of complex interactions among the water, atmosphere,
soils, and lithology. Human activities affect both water quality and quantity. Human activities change land
use and land cover, which changes the water balance and usually changes the relative importance of
processes that control water quality. Furthermore, most human activities generate waste ranging from
gases to concentrated radioactive wastes. Although each issue can be subdivided into a myriad of
individual processes or activities, the primary water-quality issues affected by human activities include
organic material, trace elements (heavy metals), acidic atmospheric deposition and runoff, salinization,
nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus), pathogenic agents including bacterial pathogens, enteric
viruses, and protozoans, suspended sediment, oil and grease, synthetic organic compounds, thermal
pollution, exotic and invasive species, pesticides and herbicides, and radioactivity. In addition to the various
issues, each human activity has a potential cyclical and cascading effect on water quality and quantity along
hydrologic pathways. The degradation of water quality in one part of a watershed can have negative effects
on users downstream; the timescale of effects is determined by the residence time of that substance along
various hydrological pathways. An extremely important factor is that substances added to the atmosphere,
land, and water generally have relatively long timescales for removal or cleanup. The nature of the
substance, including its affinity for adhering to soil and its ability to be transformed, affect the mobility and
the timescale for the removal of the substance and its effects on water quality, for example, biota.

93 Effects of Human Activities on Water Quality

Part 8. Water Quality and Biogeochemistry

1. Norman E Peters1,

2. Michel Meybeck2,

3. Deborah V Chapman3

Published Online: 15 APR 2006

DOI: 10.1002/0470848944.hsa096

Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/0470848944.hsa096/full

Main Impacts

The main man-made sources of water pollution in the Orange-Senqu River basincan be listed as follows:

Erosion in the upper reaches of the rivers, mainly in Lesotho

 Mining and minerals processing.

Not sufficiently treated industrial effluent.

Inappropriate disposal of waste and other pollutants (unprotected landfills, illegal disposal, loss of
fuel etc.).

Domestic effluent (broken pipes and insufficient treatment in (peri-urban, soak-aeays

in rural areas).

Impact of agriculture (irrigation, redistribution of river waters, agricultural effluent).

http://www.orangesenqurak.com/river/water+quality/human+impacts.aspx

HOW PEOPLE AFFECT OUR WATER QUALITY

Informal settlements

The constant rise in the number of people who live in the areas around streams and other water sources
has placed an increasing pressure on this scarce resource. Because they do not have access to treated
water in many of the areas, people use the river for washing and bathing. Also, when latrines are placed on
the banks of the river, human feaces can contaminate the water. This gives rise to water-borne diseases
such as cholera, gastro-enteritis, hepatitis, dysentery and typhoid. .

Agriculture

Water quality can be affected when farmers spray their crops with chemical pesticides and hormonal
chemicals. These chemicals can seep into the ground water and eventually flow into streams and rivers.

Overgrazing occurs when too many animals are kept in an area which is too small to sustain them. The
animals eat all the plants, which means that there is no ground cover left to bind the soil. When heavy rains
fall on overgrazed lands, the rich top soil in which plants grow is washed away into rivers.

Domestic animals such as cows, goats and sheep can also contaminate water with their faeces. Also, when
animals are allowed to wade in water, they disturb the river bed and the water becomes dirty.

Wetland destruction

Wetlands are the 'sponges' of the river system and are found at intervals along the entire length of the
river. They absorb and store large quantities of water after it has rained, and then slowly feed the ground
water and streams during drier times. By changing the course of rivers through the building of farm dams
and channels or by interfering with the ecology of the wetlands, these important areas can dry up. This
means fewer and fewer wetlands are left to act as natural filters and sponges for river water.

Commercial forestry
Planting of exotic trees in large numbers can be a drain on the water supplies in the area. Pine trees, for
example, can each absorb about 200 litres of water a day. Therefore, planting forests near wetlands and
streams can result in the water flow being restricted and eventually drying up.

Littering

Rubbish like plastic bags, bottles, paper and tins which are carelessly thrown on the ground in the city or in
the country can cause pollution of the rivers. Rubbish is blown by the wind into the river or it is washed
down storm-water drains and into the rivers.

Oil/chemicals/medicine

Pouring oil from motor cars or cooking oil into the drain causes serious problems in the rivers and at the
water purification works. Chemicals, medicines and oil should never be flushed down the toilet or poured
down the sink or drain, as they contaminate the water and make it costlier to treat. These products should
be taken to a depot which can dispose of them in the correct way.

Industry

Some industries have been given permission to discharge their effluent into nearby streams. Umgeni Water
first tests the effluent to ensure that it will not damage the environment. However, there are some
industries which do not adhere to the standards set or which have not obtained permission to discharge
into the river. Where necessary, those companies which pollute the river are prosecuted, but by then it is
usually too late and the damage to the water has already been done.